Mission: School Dance
by AngelE777
Summary: The president of the Student Council decides the council will sponsor a school dance. Kaname is in charge of planning and Sousuke with security. The last chapter is now up.
1. The Student Council President\'s Decisio...

Hello, everyone, this is my first Full Metal Panic! fanfic. It is now in the third person but is Kaname-centric.

Disclaimer: Full Metal Panic! and its characters are the property of their respective owners. This piece is not for profitable purposes.

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Mission: School Dance

_Chapter 1: The Student Council President's Decision_

After the final class of the day ends, Kaname pushes out her chair, stands, and stretches for a moment before picking up her briefcase.

"Kana-chan!"

Hearing her name, Kaname looks towards the direction of the voice and sees Kyoko waving to get her attention.

Kyoko walks over and stands next to Kaname as she continues, "Kana-chan, do you have time after school today?"

Appearing dejected, Kaname shakes her head no and sighs loudly as she answers, "No, today there's a special Student Council meeting that Hayashimizu-sempai called.

Obliviously disappointed, Kyoko frowns and says, "Ah, that's too bad, I was hoping you'd come with me to the mall."

Resigned, Kaname shrugs her shoulders as she answers, "It can't be helped. Why don't we go tomorrow?"

Kyoko smiles and nods her head yes as she says, "Sure, Kana-chan."

She pauses for a moment and then continues, "Is Sagara-kun going to the meeting, too?"

"Affirmative."

Kaname and Kyoko both jump into the air, startled by Sousuke's sudden appearance.

Angered, Kaname lifts her briefcase and swipes it at the unsuspecting Sousuke before shouting, "Sousuke! Don't scare us like that!"

Seeming surprised, he says, "I heard my name and…"

Still annoyed but used to his excuses, Kaname interrupts and says, "Yes, yes, we know."

Kyoko looks to Kaname and says, "I'm going to be going now, Kana-chan, I'll see you tomorrow!"

"Ah, ok, have a safe trip home," Kaname answers.

The two wave to each other as Kyoko exits the classroom.

After she has gone, Kaname turns to look at Sousuke, who is standing straight, as if waiting for orders.

In his normally serious tone, he says, "Chidori, we have to report to the Student Council room."

She is about to answer when she remembers something. She rummages through her briefcase in search of her pencil case. Not finding it, she looks to Sousuke again and says, "You go on ahead, Sousuke, I have to get something from my desk that I forget. Tell Hayshimizu-sempai I'll be right there."

"Understood," he answers simply before opening the door and leaving.

Kaname returns to her desk and sees her pencil case on top. She picks it up and places it in her briefcase. This complete, she starts to make her way to the Student Council room. She enters the room and, as usual, Atsunobu is seated at the desk, a fan before his face, Ren is standing beside him, and Sousuke across. Kaname takes her position and the three wait for Atsunobu to call the meeting to order.

He lowers his fan slightly and says, "Now that vice-president Chidori-kun has arrived, we'll begin the meeting."

He raises the fan once again and leans forward slightly.

"I've assembled you all here today for a very important reason."

He leans back, closes the fan for a moment, places it horizontally, and then returns it to its normal position before opening it once more.

"Jindai needs to raise funds to help support the cultural festival coming up in the fall."

Ren remains still, a calm smile upon her face, and Sousuke listens intently, while Kaname begins to become suspicious of what Atsunobu will say next.

"The Student Council has been charged with this task."

He shuts the fan again and rests it in his hands.

"I've made a decision."

"The Student Council will sponsor…"

He pauses dramatically, Ren and Sousuke are unaffected, while Kaname is angry and anxious, waiting for him to finish.

He lifts the fan to his face again and opens it, before continuing, "a school dance."

Kaname nearly falls over with astonishment.

"A school dance?" Ren says, sounding surprised.

He shifts his eyes towards her and says, "Indeed, Mikihara-kun."

"That sounds like a nice idea, president."

Kaname's jaw drops in disbelief.

"Chidori-kun?"

Kaname swallows as she tries to brace herself for what she expects to hear next.

"Yes?"

He retracts the fan and points it towards her.

"I'm appointing you as the chair of the planning committee."

She nearly falls over again as she hears what she had dreaded.

Atsunobu looks towards Ren and says, "I'm appointing you vice-chair, Mikihara-kun."

She smiles and answers, "That will be fine."

Satisfied, he lifts the fan to his face once more and opens it.

Angered, Kaname slams her hand on the desk and says, "Wait just a minute, Hayashimizu-sempai, what are _you_ going to do?"

He lowers the fan and smiles before saying, "The most important job of all, Chidori-kun, publicity."

Dumbfounded by his answer, she moves her hand away and lets it hang by her side.

"Sagara-kun."

"Yes, sir?"

Sousuke stands at attention.

"Of course, I'm charging you with security for this event."

"Understood, sir."

Exasperated, Kaname shouts, "Security? What are you talking about?"

"Chidori-kun, of course, there are risks with such an undertaking."

Disbelieving, she says under her breath, "And what might those be?"

"Do remember, Chidori-kun, this is a fundraiser, indicating that there will be money involved. Also, one must be prepared for unruly trespassers."

Sousuke shakes his head yes in knowing agreement with Atsunobu's latter statement.

Kaname droops forward and sighs before saying, "Fine, fine, I understand."

"Very good," Atsunobu answers.

"Kaname-san?" Ren says.

Hearing her voice, Kaname looks to her and Ren smiles as she says, "Shall we begin then?"

Atsunobu looks to Ren and says, "A good attitude, Mikihara-kun. I'll leave it to you then."

He pointedly closes the fan, stands up, and starts to walks out of the room.

Startled, Kaname straightens and reaches our her arm after him as she says, "Wait, wait a minute!"

Ignoring her or not hearing her, he continues silently out the door of the Student Council room.

Kaname droops forward again, feeling weighted down by the thought of planning this entire event – and Sousuke's likely intrusions.

After a few moments, she garners courage and straightens.

Trying to keep a positive attitude, Kaname says to Ren, "Do you have any ideas who you think may be good for the committee, Ren-san?"

"Yes, and you, Kaname-san?"

Kaname smiles and say, "Yeah, I have a few ideas, too."


	2. The Planning Committee Meeting

Disclaimer: Full Metal Panic! and its characters are the property of their respective owners. This piece is not for profitable purposes.

_Chapter 2: The Planning Committee Meeting_

Ready to begin the planning committee's first meeting, Kaname walks to the head of the table and stands in front of the blackboard. She waits a few moments, expecting the group to notice her and stop talking. This clearly does not happen, so she decides that she'll have to act if the committee is going to accomplish anything.

"Order," Kaname says in her usual tone of voice.

The committee members ignore her, so she tries again, this time with her voice raised, "Order!"

The chatter continues, and she becomes frustrated.

She clenches her fists at her side and shouts even louder, "Order!"

This time Kyoko hears her, but no one else.

Before Kaname can execute her next plan to slowly scratch her fingernails down the chalkboard, Kyoko stands and places her hand on Kaname's arm, trying to get her to relax.

Kyoko looks to Kaname and says in an anxious tone, "Kana-chan, maybe if we both say it together, people will listen."

Realizing the good sense in what Kyoko said, Kaname calms down and says, "Sure, Kyoko."

Kyoko smiles and the two shout out, "Order!"

After only one try, the group amazingly falls silent, and Kaname is pleased when the members all look towards her.

With more than a hint of annoyance, she says, "Now that I _finally_ have everyone's attention, let's begin."

Seeing that Kaname has things under control, Kyoko returns to her seat.

Kaname lifts her right arm in the air, her pointer finger extended upwards.

"Before anything, we'll have to decide on a theme for the dance."

To her surprise, people begin to shout their ideas left and right.

"The American Old West!"

"Dating sim!"

"A coal mine!"

"Calculus!"

"The circus!"

"Dinosaurs!"

"A candle factory!"

"Swimsuit catalog!"

"Alien abduction!"

Infuriated by the interruption and ludicrous responses, Kaname grits her teeth and resists the urge to scream.

Trying to re-attain calm, she breathes deeply, places her hands on her hips and says determinedly, "Enough. This year's theme will be," she pauses for a moment to think, "a flower garden."

The room fills with silence as most members wonder if they should say something – or if it's even safe to do so.

"Who would have though Chidori likes flowers the way she is?" one male student whispers not so quietly to another.

Having overheard the comment, Kaname leans forward and glares at the speaker and says, "Is there something you'd care to share with the group?"

Visibly sweating and his voice trembling, he responds, "No, nothing at all. I think it's an excellent idea, Chidori-san!"

She straightens and smirks as she says, "I'm glad you think so."

With an almost threatening gleam in her eyes, Kaname lets a few more moments of silence pass before placing her arms again at her side and saying, "Well then, that's settled."

Seeming to have realized something, she looks towards Ren and says, "Ah, Ren-san, could you take some notes to help us plan?"

Ren smiles and says, "Certainly, Kaname-san."

"Thanks very much."

Ren takes a notebook and pen out and places the notebook on the desk and the pen in her hand, ready to begin.

Kaname's glance returns to the group as she says, "Next we'll have to list all the tasks that need to be done, then we'll assign people accordingly."

Expecting similar ridiculous responses, she quickly continues, "I'll start us off, and we can add to that."

The others listening intently, she proceeds to name a series of tasks that Ren dutifully records.

It is when she's beginning to run out of ideas that she hears one, then two, then half the room start coughing, and sees white and gray smoke filtering through the room. The students rush from their seats out the door, gasping for breath.

Choking back coughs herself, Kaname calls out the name of the only person who could be responsible, "Sousuke!"

Stricken by the smoke, she clumsily makes her way out the door and leans against the wall as she turns her head, searching the hallway for the source of her troubles.

She spots him behind a corner and approaches him, clinging to the wall for support.

Noticing her approaching, Sousuke's eyes widen, he swallows, and he begins sweating.

When she is standing in front of him, Kaname grabs onto Sousuke's shirt and shouts his name loudly in his face.

His eyes close at the sound, and then re-open, as he looks away.

"It was a miscalculation, though it may have been the result of a defect in production."

"Is that so?" she says sarcastically through her gritted teeth.

She breathes heavily in anger, but soon convinces herself that she needs to remain calm. She looks at Sousuke's face, and can tell that he is genuinely regretful about what happened.

She lets go of his shirt, surprising him.

"Chidori?"

She turns her body around, but turns her head so she is looking back at him.

With a slight smile, she answers, "Let's go clean up the classroom, Sousuke."

Without waiting for a response, she starts walking to the classroom, Sousuke soon afterwards following.


	3. Planning and Publicity

Thanks to everyone for their comments, I hope that you enjoy this next chapter as well.

Disclaimer: Full Metal Panic! and its characters are the property of their respective owners. This piece is not for profitable purposes.

_Chapter 3: Planning and Publicity_

Sitting at a table in the Student Council Room, Kaname and Ren review the list of tasks to determine if anything remains.

Kaname proudly checks off each item on the list and the two smile at each other to see checks across the page.

"It looks like all we have left is selling tickets before the day of the dance," Ren says.

Kaname is about to agree, when she thinks of one important thing that has been left undone – the only thing Atsunobu had agreed to do.

Angered, Kaname's face starts to turn red, and she clenches her right fist.

Surprised by this change, Ren says quietly, "Is something the matter, Kaname-san?"

Kaname mutters under her breath, "That Hayashimizu-sempai, he gave away all the work to us and claimed he would take care of publicity. Here it is, the dance in two weeks, and not even a single flyer. I don't think most people even _know_ about the dance yet! What kind of Student Council President is he?"

Not having understood most of what Kaname had said, Ren remains silent, not wanting to provoke Kaname further.

Kaname continues to fume for a few moments, but soon notices the silence and does her best to regain her composure.

She places her left hand on the back of her head nervously and says, "Sorry about that Ren-san. Shall we plan the ticket sale shifts?"

More at ease, Ren nods her head yes and replies, "That sounds like a good idea."

Kaname returns her arm to her side and says, "A lot of people from the committee are willing to help out, so we should be able to cover all the lunch periods and before and after school."

"We'll sell tickets starting this Thursday and sell each school day until next Thursday, giving us Friday to finish planning and Saturday to set up the decorations. Fortunately, a lot of people will be able to help us with that, too. Hmm, after that, I think that should…"

"Students of Jindai – students of Jindai – students of Jindai!"

"What in the world?" Kaname says, as both she and Ren stand.

"It sounds like it's coming from outside," Ren says.

They move towards the window and look eagerly outside, but see nothing. Kaname opens the window and leans outside, moving her head in all directions, but still coming up empty.

The voice repeats its message a second and third time. Overcome by curiosity, Kaname runs out the room and heads towards the front entrance, leaving a startled Ren behind.

When she gets to the front entrance, she encounters a large group of people also trying to get outside. She forces her way though, and notices all the students looking up to the sky.

"I repeat – students of Jindai."

Kaname looks up and her jaw drops in awe when she sees it – a blimp – with a screen on the side with Atsunobu's image - complete with fan.

He opens the fan before his face and then lowers it from view.

"It is I, Student Council President Hayashimizu Atsunobu."

Shocked, students chatter and point.

"Is that really him?"

"What is he doing in a blimp?"

"I think this time he's really gone off the deep end."

Still stunned, Kaname remains quiet.

"Students, I have an important announcement for you," he says as he dramatically lifts and closes the fan.

"Next Friday will be a momentous occasion for this school – and for yourselves!"

He re-opens his fan and pauses dramatically as brightly colored pieces of paper rain upon the students from the school building roofs.

Students catch them or pick them up off the ground, as Atsunobu continues his speech.

He lowers the fan once more, "A dance – a dance will be held, sponsored by your beloved and gracious Student Council."

Students look towards each other with questioning stares.

He closes the fan again with a flourish and smiles. As he points the fan dramatically, "Certainly, you, or you, and most definitely, YOU would not want to miss such a rare opportunity. Why, who could even _ponder_ such a thing?"

Panicked, the students look wildly at each other and quickly state that _they_ would never be so lame or anti-social as not to go. Noticing Kaname, they run to her.

"Chidori-san, how do we get tickets? How do we get tickets?"

Still reeling from Atsunobu's stunt, Kaname desperately says, "Wait, please wait, I'll explain…"

Atsunobu brandishes the fan open, and uses it to point once more. He speaks again and the students become silent and return their gazes to him.

"Then, I shall see you next Friday."

The image goes dark and the blimp starts to move away.

Recovering from her shock, Kaname experiences a mixture of feelings, mostly of surprise and anger.

Annoyed, Kaname thinks, 'Hayashimizu-sempai, leave it to him to pull off such a flamboyant display.'

With merely more than a minute to catch her breath, the students descend upon her in a desperate search for tickets.

Realizing the value in what he has done, Kaname takes a deep breath and says loudly, "Tickets will be on sale before and after school and during lunch hour starting this Thursday in the main foyer. Please stop by!"

Cheers and other expressions of happiness and excitement resonate through the crowd, and, underneath all the noise, Kaname quietly says, "Thank you, Hayashimizu-sempai."


	4. The Dance Part I

Disclaimer: Full Metal Panic! and its characters are the property of their respective owners. This piece is not for profitable purposes.

_Chapter 4: The Dance - Part I_

Kaname closes the cashbox with a determined and satisfied motion.

Kyoko turns to her and says, "We did it, Kana-chan, we sold even more tickets than we expected."

Kaname shakes her head in agreement and looks towards Kyoko as she answers, "Everyone did a great job."

"Especially you, Kana-chan, all this planning wouldn't have been nearly as much of a success if you hadn't been leading it."

Kaname blushes slightly and says, "Ah, Kyoko, it was a lot of people's efforts."

Noticing her reacting, Kyoko changes the topic by saying, "Do you have a date for the dance?"

Kaname freezes and the color drains from her face.

She laughs nervously and answers quietly, "Well, I'll be taking tickets at the door and making sure things run smoothly so I…"

Without finishing, her head droops downwards slightly.

"You weren't asked by – anyone?"

"Well, Tsubaki-kun came over to me and talked fast and in a jumbled way, I'm still not sure if he was asking me or not. I was in a hurry at the time, so I apologized and left."

"Sagara-kun didn't say anything?"

Kaname's head shoots up and she answers, flustered, "That idiot? He probably doesn't even understand what a dance is like, he just wants to provide security for anything, the military otaku. Even if he _did_ understand, I…"

Kaname stops quickly and blushes once more.

Wanting Kaname to feel better, Kyoko smiles and says, "I'll be helping you that night, Kana-chan, I'm sure that it will be a lot of fun."

Reassured, Kaname smiles at Kyoko and says, "I'm sure you're right, Kyoko."

Kyoko stands and says, "Shall we go start putting up the decorations?"

Kaname shakes her head yes and says, "Sounds like a good plan."

* * *

Kaname sits next to Kyoko at the ticket table. She can't help but be embarrassed, she had bought a new dress for the occasion, but she had come by herself – he had never even brought the topic up of going together, all he talked about was his plans for security. 

Her temperature rises as she thinks, 'Security? Why would something like that be needed, it's just a dance, what could possibly happen?'

Angered at herself, she thinks, 'Why am I thinking about him anyway, the way he is, he'd just make a fool of himself and embarrass me if we were together.'

Resolute, she decides to forget about him and do what needs to be done.

Kyoko scans the room and says, "It's sort of surprising, no one's come in saying Sagara-kun did anything like set traps or throw grenades. I haven't seen him yet tonight, is it possible that he didn't come?"

Startled by this, Kaname wonders the same thing, 'Sousuke's not here? He agreed when Hayashimizu-sempai asked him to be in charge of security. He _has_ to be here, for him, duty comes before all else.'

The last thought is painful for her, so Kaname distracts herself by saying, "He's probably just hiding in a bush somewhere, you know how he is."

"You're probably right," Kyoko answers.

Time passes as the two take tickets from students before they enter the gymnasium.

After a while, Kyoko looks to Kaname and says, "Since things have slowed down here, Kana-chan, I'm going to go check to see if the refreshment section needs any help."

Not wanting to be alone, but acknowledging the good sense in her statement, Kaname responds, "Sure, Kyoko, that's a good idea. I'll be here if you need me."

"Ok," Kyoko answers as she stands and leaves.

Alone, Kaname's thoughts inevitably return to the topic she'd been trying to avoid.

She thinks, 'Is it really possible that he didn't come? Why else would it be so calm? Then there's certainly no chance…'

"Leave me alone!" someone yells.

"Oh come on, I know you're just saying that," another voice answers.

Curious and concerned, Kaname tries to discern from where the voices are coming. When she looks at the school entrance, she sees a female student trying to push away an obviously drunk male student.

"Haru-chan, you said you'd be my date tonight," he complains.

"Not the way you are, it's disgusting," she answers.

Angered by her response, he puts his arm around her neck.

"Stop Gin-kun, you're hurting me."

Not listening, he tightens and says, "You're going with me whether you like it or not."

Upset, Kaname stands, starts to move towards them and shouts, "Stop that, leave that girl alone!"

Obviously annoyed, he lets go of her and looks angrily at Kaname.

He moves towards her and says, "What's the matter, girl, jealous?"

"As if _that_ were possible! Who would go for a lush like you?"

"What was that, girl?" he says, furious.

Lunging towards her, he shouts, "You deserve what you're about to…"

The sound of a shot rings out before he crashes to the floor.


	5. The Dance Part II

Here's the last chapter, thanks for reading.

Disclaimer: Full Metal Panic! and its characters are the rightful property of their respective owners. This piece is not for profitable purposes.

Chapter 5: The Dance – Part II 

The girl screams in surprise and Kaname looks around and thinks 'Could it have been? Of course, who else? But where?'

The girl runs to the boy and says, "Gin-kun, Gin-kun, are you all right?"

He remains unresponsive on the ground as she shakes him.

"There is no need for concern, he'll recover in approximately ten minutes."

Confused, she says, "Who said that?"

Kaname answers instead, yelling, "Sousuke, what are you doing?'

"I've been guarding the area, making sure no one comes in without a ticket or inebriated."

"You've been here – somewhere in here – this whole time? When did you arrive?"

"1700."

"Since then? We didn't start collecting tickets until an hour after that! Where are you!"

The girl, still holding onto the boy's arm, looks worriedly around the room and says, "Excuse me, but will he really be all right?"

"I assure you, its purpose is only to stun. There will be no long-term effects."

"Enough, Sousuke, come out so we can see you."

"No, it's all right, you don't have to come out if you don't want to. I'll just wait here with Gin-kun. When he wakes up, I'll help him home."

Sighing as she walks towards the two, Kaname answers, "I'm sorry he put you through this trouble, Sousuke always overreacts in violent ways."

Kaname scans the room and shouts angrily, "Sousuke, the least you can do is help us move him somewhere."

Only a moment passes before she is startled to hear a voice close behind her saying, "Understood."

She jumps and says, "Don't surprise me like that!"

Confused, he says, "But you said…"

She interrupts him, answering, "Yes, I know what I said, oh, forget it, just help us."

Together, the three of them move the boy into a nearby classroom.

The girl bows slightly and says, "Thank you for your help. I'll watch over him here."

Kaname waves her hand and says, "Of course, no trouble."

Kaname and Sousuke leave the room and return to the ticket table. Kaname is about to lecture him once more when she notices for the first time what he is wearing – a suit.

Embarrassed but not sure why, she looks away and says, "I didn't think you were here until _that _happened, there haven't been any explosions or gas clouds."

Not understanding her jab, he responds, "This is an important event, I took especial care. There is a series of surveillance cameras set up that will trigger the traps if needed."

"Surveillance cameras, triggers," she says, actually impressed at his forethought.

He nods in agreement.

Noting his appearance once more, Kaname gathers the courage to say quietly, "Sousuke, why are you dressed like that?"

A questioning look across his face, Sousuke responds, "Is this not the correct uniform for this type of event?"

Not very surprised but still disappointed by his answer, Kaname says, "Yes, that's true, but I wouldn't really call it a uniform, it's what you wear when – never mind."

Appearing confused, Sousuke says, "Is something wrong, Chidori?"

She remains silent, so he begins thinking aloud, "Possibly food poisoning? Yes, that seems plausible because of your gatekeeper status here."

Angered, she clenches her right fist and says, "That's not it, you idiot!" before running off, leaving a perplexed Sousuke behind.

"Kana-chan, how are things going here?" Kyoko asks as she enters the lobby.

She looks towards the table, but sees that it's empty.

She scans the room and calls after Kaname, "Kana-chan?"

She is startled when she hears a voice, "Chidori left her post."

"Sagara-kun?" Kyoko asks as she looks for him.

Knowing that her next question will be to ask where he is, Sousuke decides on his own to show himself.

"Oh, there you are, Sagara-kun. Where did Kana-chan go?"

"I'm not informed. We were discussing my uniform for this event and she seemed ill – I thought it was food poisoning – and she left."

'Kana-chan probably though Sagara-kun was going to ask her to dance,' Kyoko thinks.

"Sagara-kun, have you ever been to a dance before?"

"Negative."

"Have you seen what's going on in the gymnasium?"

Misunderstanding her question, he lifts up a device that looks like a small television and says, "I'm using the device to see the images from the surveillance cameras I've set up."

"Allow me to answer that question," an unknown approaching voice states.

Both Kyoko and Sousuke look around, and are surprised to see Atsunobu approaching, his fan, closed, resting against his hands.

He stops when he is before them, lifts and opens the fan, brings it up towards his face before lowering it slightly and continues, "Socializing, enjoyment – dancing."

With a thoughtful expression, Sousuke answers, "I see, a form of amusement."

Atsunobu and Kyoko nod their heads in agreement.

"So then Chidori is here for this purpose as well," he says, half questioningly.

Atsunobu closes the fan and points it at Sousuke as he says in a raised tone, "Sagara-kun!"

Sousuke stands at attention, his arms at his side as he answers, "Yes, sir!"

"You are hereby released from duty."

Surprised, confusion crosses Sousuke's face as he says, "Sir?"

Atsunobu brings the fan back towards him and opens it again, "Am I understood, Sagara-kun?"

Deciding that he must have meant what he said, Sousuke replies, "Yes, sir, understood."

"Very well then," Atsunobu answers, not waiting for a response before he walks away in the direction of the gymnasium.

Sousuke turns to Kyoko and says, "Tokiwa-san?"

"Yes, Sagara-kun?"

"I'm going to find Chidori."

Kyoko gives him the thumbs up sign and says, "Good luck, Sagara-kun."

He hurries off in the direction he had last seen her go, and uses his device to look for her on the surveillance cameras. He spots her standing nearby, in front of the door to the library, and quickly makes his way there.

He arrives, and Kaname is startled to see him.

"Sousuke, what are you doing here?"

"I came to find you, Chidori."

Her head droops and she says sadly, "Why, because no one was manning the ticket table?"

"No."

Surprised by his answer, she looks up at him with a curious expression and says, "Why, then?"

He stands straight and says, "Chidori, would you care to join me for a dance?"

Flustered, she says, "Sousuke, what do you mean?"

Confused, he says more to himself than to her, "Is that the wrong way to say it?"

Realizing that he had indeed meant what she thought, she blushes but also smiles and says, "I think that wouldn't be a problem at all, Sousuke."

He smiles in response.

"Shall we go then, Chidori?"

She surprises him when she says, "Let's stay here, just the two of us. We can hear the music from here, a slow dance even just started."

"All right," Sousuke answers.

Having watched what the students were doing using the cameras, Sousuke attempts to mimic their movements, and awkwardly approaches her.

More certain of her actions, Kaname places Sousuke's arms gently on her waist and then her own on his shoulders.

She looks up at him and says, "You move slowly in a circle, you can follow my lead."

They begin to dance as the music plays, sounding distant but still enchanting. Sousuke has some trouble at first, but soon is moving in time with Kaname. They smile at each other, each enjoying being with the other.

The song ends, and Sousuke is shocked when Kaname hugs him and says, "Thank you, Sousuke."

"Thank you, too, Chidori."

They each blush for a moment while they look in each other's eyes.

Embarrassed but happy, Kaname takes hold of his hand and says, "Sousuke, let's find Kyoko, and all join the rest of the party."

"Sure," Sousuke answers, as Kaname begins to run off, taking Sousuke with her.


End file.
